Paradox Sports: Pushing Forward

It's not what you can no longer do. It's what you can do now.
Malcolm Daly climbing in Ouray.Photo: Kitt Daly
I read and was pondering this sentiment recently, seven months pregnant, unable to ice climb with my husband, downhill ski with my son, or bag winter Presidential peaks. I admit, I was feeling a touch sorry for myself.
Then I saw the press release for Gimps On Ice and got over myself.
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Looking in the mirror this morning, evaluating my fifty-year old-biking-climbing-skiing frame, I was feeling almost fat and sorry for myself––but then reading this article kicked me right in the ass to a positve momentum. Congrats to all and wish I was in Ouray.

Alicia,
You mention Mal Daly. I knew Mal for a couple years before I realized he was an amputee. He walks better than I do, and I have two healthy legs. I also get humbled on the ski slopes all the time by blind skiers, amputees, paraplegic skiers, and other supposedly handicapped folks. Somewhere along the line (inspired in part by my friend Warren), I realized that in a very true sense, we are all handicapped. But mostly our handicaps are the limitations we place on ourselves.

As for pregnancy limiting you, Barb was bicycling up to a couple weeks before Young Son arrived (and on a road racing bike, at that), and back on the bike about 2 or 3 weeks later. Actually, the reason she stopped riding was because she was finishing her graduate work and spent the two weeks filing paperwork and getting her dissertation through the publishing process.

Thanks for the comments. I agree that it's the restrictions we impose on ourselves that are most limiting. We probably all can use a kick in the rear sometimes.

I should mention that I am a huge supporter of women being active during pregnancy. Unfortunately, I had some complications at the mid-way point that curtailed most of my activities for a good month or two this winter.

But, even though there are things I temporarily can’t do while pregnant (I didn’t do a winter Presi Traverse, for example), there is still a lot I can do. For the first half of this pregnancy I was still running, hiking, and so on daily. At this point I’m active again, though not quite as mobile, but I can walk, hike, snowshoe, and cross-country ski. And those are all good things too.

Not to sound too Pollyannish, but accentuating the positive and taking advantage of the opportunities available is far more empowering and fulfilling than dwelling on any perceived negatives. And it’s a lot more fun.